Selective card-handling apparatus



' 1 621 716 March 22, 1927. E A. GEIGER SELECTIVE CARD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1925 5 Sheds-Sheet 1 |NVENTOR 5A)? e/ er" ATTORNEY March 22 1927.

E. A. GEIGER SELECTIVE CARD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5', 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY 1 M rch 22, 1927.

E. A. GE IGER SELECTIVE CARfi HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 iww; ATTORNEY [rm/7 B 1,621 716 March 1927' E. A. GEIGER I I SELECTIVE CARD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 64M)? 62/ 6/ ATTORNEY E. A. GEIGER SELECTIVE CARD HANDLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-s 5 Filed Dec 5' 1925 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 22 1927.

UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERWIN A. GEIGER, OF RIDGEWOOD,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO RAPID ADDRESSING MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SELECTIVE CARD-HANDLING APPARATUS.

Application filed' December 3, 1925. Serial No. 73,074.

in the form of an attachment for machines using stencil cards made of paper with cardboard frames, such as is shown and described in the joint application of August F. Schraegle, Henry T. Jennings and myself, Serial No. 57,867, filed Sept; 22nd, 1925, it being understood, of course, that when the present invention is applied to a machine of the prior noted application, the card restacking device therein shown and described will not be used.

Briefly stated, the essence of the present invention consists in providing the guideways for the cards with movable sections located between the inking and impression mechanism and the main receiving magazine, and operating the. same by meansof selective apparatus, the action of-which is controlled by the location of various holes punched in the frames of the cards, so that when a card having a predetermined arrangement of frame perforations comes into the zone of such movable sections they will be pulled apart and allow the card to drop.

out of the guideways, instead of continuing onward tothe main receiving magazine. Preferably, card is positively assured by the downward motion of an ejector plate reciprocating vertically above the movable guideway sections. I

The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my present invention is illustrated in the accompanying five sheets of drawingsrin which:

' Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the selective attachment w th the card guides, ;support1ng frame ,and main operating shaft broken away,

forced such dropping out of the selected Fig. 2 is a similar side elevation looking from the other side of the attachment.

Fig. 3 is a plan View with the card guides broken away and the main operating shaft and a part of the connected driving gearing omitted.

Fig. 4 is an endelevation with a part of the supporting base broken away and the main driving shaft shown in'section.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical cross section on line 55 of Fig. 3 showing the movable elements of the card guides and portions of their immediate actuating connections.

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical cross section on" the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 (looking in the oppo site directionand showing more of said operating mechanism).

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3 with certain parts removed and other parts broken away to better illustrate the registering pin for accurately placing each card at the time when the selective mechanism is beginning to come into cooperation with it, and

Fig. 8 is a plan view on a larger scale of one of the stencil cards shown in the facedownwards position in which it enters the zone of the selective apparatus.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts. 1 is the main frame of the attachment .adapted to be fastened to the discharge end of an addressing machine and carrying the main receiving magazine (not shown) which is located below the passage 9 (see Fig. 2). 2, 2, .are the card guides along which the stencil cards are from the inking and impression mechanism of the addressing machine (not shown). 3, 3, are laterally movable bottom rail sections in said guides. When a card of the predetermined classification isdepos ited on-these bottom rail sections 3, 3, they .are automatically spread apart to permit that card to drop down into the receptacle 6 for such re ected cards in which they rest on block 63, cut away at 63 topermit the operator to easily grasp and remove the bunch of cards 8 collected therein. 7 is a spring controlled hinged fiapwhich normally retains the" stack of rejected cards in the receptacle 6 but which yields outwardly when the operator grasps the stack andpulls out in order to empty the receptacle, I

normallly 4 is a longitudinally movable plate located between the card guide rails and serving as a support for the rear end of the card which is in the zone of the selective apparatus. This prevents the end of such card apparatus and is of an area adapted to nearly cover or fill the opening produced when the movable rails 3, 3, are pulled apart and the end late 4 pulled back. This plate 5 is carried by the plunger 17, vertically reciprocating in the housing 1 on the main frame, and is forced downward after side rails 3, 3, have been spread apart, thus positively ejecting the card from the guideways and ensuring its prompt deposit in the receptacle 6. A stack of ejected cards in the receptacle 6 is shown at 8, and also one of the retained cards is shown at 10 dropping through the passageway 9 which leads to the card receiving magazine, (not shown). 11 represents generally one of the cards with the classification holes 12, 12, punched in its frame and the hole 13 for the registering pin located in one corner. -All the cards ave this hole 13 in the same location but the locations of the holes 12 vary accordingly to any predetermined system of classification.

According to the present embodiment of my invention, the ejector plate 5 rises and fallsonce during each, cycle of operations of the addressing machine, and as its c0m plete downward motion will be checked by the rail sections 3, 3, and plate 4, when the latter are in normal position, it is necessary to give this plate 5 a yielding mounting. As here shown, this is accomplished by supporting it on studs 14, 14, loosely mounted in a supporting plate 15 and provided with ad justable stops in the shape of nuts 14", 14", screwed on their, upper ends, plate 5 being forced downward, as far as permitted y said stops, by. spiral springs 14, 14, surrounding studs 14, 14 and confined between plates 5 and 15. A vertical ,rib 16 i on housing 1 engages a slot in an exten- 5 sion from plate 15, thereby serving as a guide to prevent plates 5 and 15 from'pivoting on the plunger 17 which supports them. This plunger is guided vertically in housing 1 and equipped with a rack 17" meshing with gear wheel or toothed sector -18 fast on horizontal shaft 19 also 'ournalled in saidhousin 1. A-erank 20 is fast on the rojecting en of shaft 19 and is connected y 21 and-crank pin. 22 to one arm 230i a exiblo bell-crank, the other arm 23 of which carries a roller 25 meshing with the circumferential groove in the cam 26 on themounted. This shaft 24 has its outer end journalled in housing 24 and has a lost motion connection with bell-crank arm23 afforded by the pin and slot 24 shown in Fig. 4 while bell-crank arm 23. is held fast on shaft 24 by pin 24 (see Fig. 4) Crank pin 22 is screwed into bell-crank arm 23 and held in position by set screw 22.. The above described a paratus, being constantl operated by t e constant rotation of s aft 27 tends to force plate 15 downward once during each cycle of operation of the addressing machine, but if a card 11 not having holes 12 therein which register with all of the selective pins 28 set in plate 15 is lying on rail sections 3, 3, the resistance thus encountered will prevent a complete downward stroke of plate 15, and consequently preventa complete vibration of bell-crank arm 23; but as spring 23 then yields it permits a complete vibration of the other bell-crank arm 23 under control of cam 26 within the limits of motion afforded by the pin and slot mechanism 24. The li plate 15 ma be adjusted by any convenient ength,-adjusting joint 21 in link 21. This link 21 is made in two sections hinged together by the flexible joint 29 shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

30 is a vertically reciprocating, registering pin loosely mounted in plate 15 and adapted,

when forced downward, to enter the registry hole 13 in each stencilcard and accurately place said card so that the selector pins 28, 28, may surely enter their cooperating holes 12, 12, if the card contains such-holes soloeated'as to receive the particular selector pins then being carried by plate 15. This pin is vertically reciprocated by bell-crank lever composed of arms orcranks 31 and 31 pinned on shaft 32 supported in bearing 32,

screwed on the card guide 2. Crank arm 31 has a ball and socket connection to pin 30 as shown in Fig. 7. Arm 31 is connected by link 33 to one arm of bell-crank lever 34 which is loosely pivoted on shaft 43, journalled in the main frame 1. The other bell crank'arm carries cam roller 36 cooperating with cam 37 on shaft 38 which is rotated in unison with main shaft 27 by means of the.

train of gearing 39. The pin 30 is normally forced downward, and cam roller 36 is held against cam 37 by the spiral spring 32" surrounding shaft 32 and having one end anchored in the collar pinned on shaft 32, while its other, free end enters a hole in one of the card guides 2 as shown at 31 in Fig. 3. A removable collar'30, may be pinned on the upper end of pin 30 its of stroke of plunger .17 and to hold the same slightly in advanceof the downward motion.

ofthe selector pins 28, thereby ensuring the complete insertion of pin 30 into hole 13 of each card and the accurate adjustment of each card for the reception of pins 28 just before they begin to engage the classification holes 12. If a card should come through the guides 2, 2, not having a hole 13 located in the proper position under pin 30, the spring 32 will not be able to force pin 30 downward. This avoids the punching of a hole in the card by the pin 3:) or the breaking of some part of the mechanism, positive 'am driven motion of pin 30 occurring only onits IIP-Stl'OkO.

'lheoutward motion of the movable guide rails 3, '3, and of end supporting plate 4 is produced, when desired, by the-cranks 40, 40, connected to railsections 3, 3, by pins 41 passing through said cranks and through ears 42 carried on the outer edges of said rail sections. Two cranks are mounted on each of shafts 43 and 43 (one shaft being. on each side of the apparatus). The cranks 40 on one side are pinned to the shaft 43 on that side by pins 43 While the cranks 40 on the other side of the apparatus are similarly pinned to the parallel shaft 43, and these two shafts are connected together by the intermeshing toothed sectors 44, 44, so

that they must rotate in unison but in opposite directions. One of these sectors 1s connected to plate 4 by an off-set link 58 shown in Figs. 3 and 5. .This link has at its lower end a universal joint connection to one of the sectors 44 said connection being formed by means of the pivot pin 62 mounted in said sector and carrying the square block 61 which is pivoted to the link 58 by shaft 59 screwed in the lower forked end of link 58 while the upper end of said link is connected to plate 4 by the screw eye mounted in the plate and pivoted to link 58 by pin 6O (see Fig. 5). As a result of theangularity of link 58 with reference to plate '4, any upward motion of'the toothed sectors 44 produces an outward and backward motion of plate 4 thereby shoving said plate but from under the end of the card then in the zone-of selection at the same time that the rail sections 3, I), are moved sidewisc, outfrom under the card. These motions of the sectors 44 are produced when the sleeve 46, which carries a crank 46 ,,carrying a cam roller 47, is

slid to the right (looking at Fig. 1) along shaft. 43, so that said cam roller 47 comes into the plane of revolution of cam 48 mounted on shaft 38 (see Fig. 6). Sleeve 46 has a splined connection 46 to shaft 43, which compels it to rotate with said shaft but per- -with thecard guides 2, 2.

lnits it to he slid lengthwise thereof. In

Figs. 1 and 3, sleeve 46 is shown in its. withdrawn position such that cam roller 47 is out of the plane of rotation of cam 46, and no motion will be transmitted to guide sections 3, 3, or plate 4. This sliding motion of sleeve 46 is produced by pin 49 (Figs. 1 and 3), carried by bell-crank 50 and engaging a circumferential groove 49 (or arc of -a groove) in. sleeve 46. Bell-crank 50 is pivoted on the main frame at 51 and has its.

other arm pivoted at 52 to the vertically reciprocating link 21. 'Each of the shafts 43, 43 has a collar 54 or 54 pinned to its outer end, and a spiral spring 53 or 55* surrounding itand having one end anchored in one of the said collars and the other end anchored in the main frame 1 (see Fig. 1). These springs tend to twist shafts 43, 43 in direc-tions such as will hold the guide rail sections 3,3, in their inmost positions, as shown in Fig. 6, but yield to the action of cam 48 which positively spreads apart said sections when sleeve 46 is slid. over so as to bring cam roller 47 into the plane of rotation of said cam 48. The accurate adjustment of the rail sections 3, 3, in their inmost positions is secured by the stop screw mounted in one of the crank arms 40 and bearing on the main frame when the guide rail sections are in line of the movable guide rail sections 3, 3, have U-shaped notches 3 to receive pins 28 and 30,

and. the forward end of plate 4 has similar notches 4 to receive the selector pin or pins' 28 mounted in the end of plate 5.

The inner edges j The necessity for hinged joint 29 in link 21 arises from the fact that the radius of the horizontal arm of bell-crank 50 is different from the radii of crank 20 and bell-crank arm 23, all three of which are connected to link 21.

57' represents part of the attachment for gradually moving downward the bottom plate of the card receiving magazine (not shown) attached to the bottom of the card passageway 9. As this forms no part of the present invention it has not been herein illustrated or described.

The general mode of operation of the invention, when embodied in the above described apparatus, is as follows: After each card 11 is passed through the inking and impression mechanism of the addressing ma chine it is forced along through guides 2 under ejector plate 5, and remains there at rest while a print is being taken from the following card or cards still in the addrcssing machine proper. At the beginning of this period of rest of card 11 under plate 5 the register pin 30 begins to move down and engage hole 13 in the card 11, thereby ensuring the accurate adjustment of that card with reference to selector pins 28. By the time this engagement has been accomplished plunger 17 begins to descend, and if the card in position has classification holes 12 corresponding to all the pins. 28 carried by plate 15, plunger 17 continues such movement and pins 28 begin to enter said holes. This permits suificient upward motion of link 21 to swing bell-crank 50 far enough to slide sleeve 46 along on shaft 43 so that cam roller 47 comes into the lane of revolution of cam 48, and when tl11S cam strikes roller 47 rail sections 3 are thereupon spread apart and end plate 4 retracted sothat the card llis left without support and drops into receptacle 6. This downward motion of the card is made positive by the expansion of springs 14 which have been compressed during the downward movement of pins-28 by reason of the fact that the plate 5 has come to rest on top of the card before rail sections 3 have been withdrawn. When these rail sections are completely withdrawn, the complete withdrawal not having been effected until plate 15 has made its full stroke (or' nearly its full stroke) downward, the springs 14, which have been thereby considerably compressed, expand quickly and cause plate 5 to exert its ejector function, and to strip the card from pins 28 and 30. When cam.48

leaves cam roller 47, springs 53, 53 promptly force rail sections 3, 3, and endplate 4, back into normal position-and, on the downward. movement of link 21, bell-crank 50 is b vibrated to withdraw cam roller 47 from the plane of rotation of cam 48. At the same time cam 37 on shaft 38 operates bell-crank 34 and connected mechanismto lift registering pin 30 out of the path of the next oncoming card, pins 28.being similarly lifted by produced by continued rotation of cam 26.

If, pins 28 do not find classification holes 12 ready to receive them in the card beneath, the downward movement of plate 15 will be checked at a very early stage, the flexible drive connection afiorded by spring 23 allowing this to occur. As a result, link 21 -.-will not travel far enough to move sleeve 46 into the position necessary to cause cam roller 47 to engage cam 48 and the guide ra-il sections 3, 3, and plate 4 will remain in normal position supporting the card in the guideways along which it has been slid after leaving the inking mechanism. When the pressure is taken ofl pins 28, an'dpin 30 has been raised out of engagement with hole .1 3,, the next operation of the addressingmachine will force the card 11 further along and out over passageway 9, .through which it will drop lnto the main receiving magazine by gravity.

When it is desired to hold the entire selector apparatus in a position of rest and leave free passage for all cards to the mainreceiving magazine, pin 55, hangingon the end of however, all the descending selector chain (see Fig. 4) may be inserted through hole 56 in the upper end of plunger Thereafter continued rotation of shafts 27, 38 will merely flex springs 23 and 32 and no portions of the trains of mechanism located beyond these be moved. I

The pins, 28 are fastened in. those of the slots in the edges andrear end of plate 15, which bring said pins over the holes 12 in the cards of the class which are to be picked out. Thus if'themachine is printing mailing addresses for a magazine, the cards containing addresses of subscribers whose subscriptions run out before the next issue will all have holes 12 corresponding to the location of pins 28, shown in the drawings. Consequently all these cards, after helping to print address slips,'will be dropped into yielding elements, will receptacle 6 to be thrown away, while the other cards will go on to the main receiving out predetermined cards from a series of cards fed to it, comprising a selective device, the operation of which is determined y the presence or absence ofcertain classification features on said cards, and a set of guideways for said cards leading to and through said'selective device, the combination, with the above described apparatus, of

a movable bottom section in said guideways located immediately below said selective device and long enough to permit by its temporary displacement the removal of a card from said guideways, and means-for moving said section controlled by said selective device.

able finger adapted to be pressed down upon one side of the card in the selective zone of said guideways and to enter any hole in said 2.' A combination such as defined in claim card with which it may register, the combi-.

nation, .with said above described ap aratus, of oppositely disposed laterally movable bottom sections in said guideways below said finger, and mechanism for spreading apart said bottom sections controlled by the extent of movement of said finger.

4. A structure such as described in claim 3 combined with a second adjustable finger and mechanism for moving said plate out from under said card end synchronized with said movable nism for moving bottom sections of the guideway s.-

5. A combination such as defined in claim 3 in which said last described mechanism comprises a constantly vibrated, springdriven device connected to said finger, a

train of mechanism foi moving said rail sections including a pair of elements-one of which is normally disconnected from the other but may be moved into engagement therewith, and connections from said springdriven device to said movable element; whereby a complete vibration of the former such as is possible when said finger enters a hole in a card moves the latter into engage ment with its cooperating element, but a partial vibration, such as results when said finger strikes an imperforate portion of a card, will not produce such engagement.

6. In a device for automatically picking out from a series of cards fed to it along guideways those which have holes in a predetermined'location, said device having a finger so adjusted as to enter any such hole, the combination, with said apparatus, of a constantly rotating driving shaft, means for reciprocatingsaid 'finger comprising a reciprocating link elastically driven from said shaft, movable sections in said guideways, mechanism for moving said sections out from under a card comprising a sleeve adapted to slide endwise on a shaft, a cam continuously rotated by-said driving shaft, a crank on said sleeve adapted to engage said cam when moved into the plane of said cams rotation. and connections from said sleeve to said elastically driven reciprocating link;

whereby, when said finger enters a hole in a card said elastically driven link is permitted to move far enough to slide said crank into engagement with said cam, but when said finger is stopped by encountering animperforate portion of a card the movement of said link is thereby so limited that no engagement between cam and crank occurs.

7. In a device for automatically picking out predetermined cards from a series of cards fed to it, comprising a selective device involving a reciprocating pin, the operation of which selective device is determined by the presence or absence of a perforation at a certain location on each of said cards with. which perforation said pin may engage, and a set of gnideways for said, cards leading to and through said selective device, the combination, with the above described apparatus, of a second pin of generally conical form,

movable in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the card which is in the selective zone and adapted to fit into a perforation provided'in each such card, and mechaboth said pins toward and from each card while'it lies opposite them-in said guides, whereby saidsecond pin, by reason. of its conical shape, ositively adjusts each card in correct registration with, said first} mentioned pin and thereby ensures certainty'of operation by the selective device.

8. A combination such as defined in claim 7 in which said mechanism for moving second pin comprises a spring normally tending to force the pin-toward the card and a cam operated device for Withdrawing it.

9. A structure such as described in claim 7 combined with means for temporarily dis- .abling said selective device and for holding said second pin in its withdrawn position.

10. In a-device for automatically picking out predetermined cards from a series of cards fed to it along guideways, having a selective apparatus comprising an adjustable finger adapted to be pressed down upon one side of the card in the selective zone of said guideways and'to enter any card with which it mayregister, the combination, with said above described apparatus,

of movable bottom sections in said guideways long enough to permit by their temporary displacement the removal of a card from said guideways, mechanism for moving said bottom sections controlled by the extent of movement of said finger, and a strip.- per adapted to bear on a card resting on said movable rail sections, said stripper being elastically connected to saidfinger and movable therewith except when said movement is-prevented by the resistance of a card carried by said movable rail sections when the latter are in normal position.

11. A combination such as defined in claim 10 in which said finger is removably mounted in one of a series of slots in a reciprocating plate and said stripper. is in the form of a second plate loosely connected to said first plate with a compression spring confined between said two plates. I

12. In a card handling device comprising a pair of parallel guide rails along which said cards are fed in succession, nation of a pair of movable sections in said rails, a mechanism for laterally moving each section, and a pair of intermeshing, swinging, toothed sectors connected one to each of said mechanisms; whereby said rail sections are synchronously moved apart, or back into normal position. v

13. A structuresuch as described in claim 12 combined with a plate longitudinally said the combi-- hole in said movable along said guides and having one a flexible link connection front ways further apart and away from said finsaid cards are fed in succession, the combination of a pair of oppositely disposed movable sections in said rails, positively driven mechanism for spreading said rail sections further apart, and spring operated mechanism for returning them to normal position.

15. A structure such as defined in claim 14 combined with an adjustable stop for limiting the return movement of said rail sec tions. 7

16. In a device of the character described, the combination of a main frame, three cranks of nonuniform length ivotally mounted on said frame and all apted to vibrate in substantially the same-plane, and a. reciprocating link connecting the three crank pins, which said link has a hingedjoint flexible in said plane, together with means for vibrating one of said cranks.

17. The combination of a pair of card guide rails,a receiving chute for said cards at the end of said guide rails, a pair of oppositely disposed movable sections for saidrails located anteriorly to said chute, and a receptacle below said movable sections adapted to receive cards dropped from said rails by the movement of said sections.

18. The combination, with mechanism such as defined in claim 7, of a series of cards adapted to be fed consecutively alon said guideways, said cards being rovided with perforations variously locate to cooperate with said selective device and each of said cards having a perforation so located as to register with said conical pin when said card is in the field of said selective device.

19. A selective card handling device comprising, in combination, a pair of parallel guideways for cards, a set 0 selector fingers movable toward andfrom said guidewa s, movable guide rail sections opposite said fiib gers provided with notches in their inner edges through which, said fingers may pass, and means for sliding said movable uidegers.

20. The combinatlon, with guides along which a series of cards may be fed one behind another, and a selective device adapted, when actuated, to remove any card from said guides, of a plurality of cards adapted to be fed along said guides, each of which cards has a perforation at a particular location, and some of which haveadditional perforations at various other locations, together with mechanism for actuating said selective device, which said mechanism comprises a reciprocating conical pin adapted to enter the first mentioned perforation in each card, and a second reciprocating, elasticallyd'riven pin adapted to enter the second mentioned hole in some of said cards, whereby said first pin, engaging a erforation in every card, positively adjustgeach card in proper position in the guides to cause exact registration of said second pin with any cooperating perforations which exist in certain of said cards.

21. A combination such as defined in claim 20 in which said actuating mechanism is adapted to move said first mentioned pin into engagement with its registering per- 'foration before any engagement by said second pin is begun. a

22. In a device for automatically picking out predetermined cards; from a series of cards fed to it, comprising a selective device involving a reciprocatingpin, the operation of which selective device is determined by the presence or absence of a perforation at a" certain location on each of said cards with which perforation said pin may engage, and :1 set 0 guideways for said cardsleading to and through said selective device, the combination, with the'above described apparatus; of a second pin of generally conical form, movable in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the card which is in the selective zone and adapted to fit into a perforation provided in each such card, and mechanism for moving said second pin into the perfora tion with which it registers in advance of any engagement by the first mentioned pin with any perforation which may be present in a card in line with said first mentioned 

